This invention relates to Motor Vehicles and more particularly to a novel and improved heavy duty vehicle frame.
Motor vehicles, particularly heavy duty motor vehicles, are often typically equipped with rigid frames. As an example the typical over the highway truck or tractor has two elongated channels which function as frame rails. The rails are interconnected by cross members.
As a step in frame manufacture frame rails are moved along a production line where holes are punched for attachment of brackets. Brackets are attached to the frame rail typically by passing bolts through aligned holes in the brackets and the rails. The brackets are parts which are separately manufactured and transported to the production line. Similarly fasteners which connect the brackets to the rails are manufactured elsewhere and transported to the line. Attachment of the brackets to the frames is usually manually done particularly with relatively low volume heavy duty vehicles where such assembly aids as robots are not economically justified.
Accordingly it would be desirable to provide an improved system for connecting components of a suspension system and other mechanisms to a vehicle frame.
With the present invention brackets for connecting components to frames are integrally formed in the frames. The brackets preferably are formed as frame rails are passed along a production line where conventional hole punching is accomplished.
An integral bracket is formed by first cutting a body of the rail to form the sides of a bracket cut out portion which portion remains connected along one side to the rail. A hole is punched in the cut out portion. The cut out portion is then bent typically to about 90 degrees with the body of the rail such that the cut out portion becomes a projecting apertured bracket. Subsequently during vehicle assembly a vehicle component such as a shock absorber is connected to the bracket as by passing a fastener through the aperture in the bracket.
In one form of bracket made in accordance with the invention a single cut out portion forms the bracket. The single cut out portion is disposed generally horizontally when a vehicle equipped with it is in use.
In an alternate and preferred arrangement a pair of cut out portions provide a pair of brackets which are arranged in parallel spaced relationship. The cut out portions of the pair are respectively disposed in vertical planes. The cut out portions have aligned fastener receiving holes in order that a vehicle component such as a shock absorber may be positioned between the cut out portions. A fastener projects through the aligned holes of the cut out portions and through a mounting aperture of the component to secure the component to the vehicle frame.
Accordingly the objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved vehicle frame including at least one integrally formed bracket and a method of making such a frame.